Mespilia globulus, the globe or sphere urchin, is a common sea urchin in aquarium stores. Its commercial name, tuxedo pincushion urchin, is derived from the rather formal look of the adult animal: five broad-coloured bands alternate with five usually blue or black darker bands. This sea urchin species grows up to 6-8 cm in diameter and can only be found in tropical waters. It is mainly herbivorous, grazing on algae at night. It possesses relatively short spines, usually red, brown or dark in color. The globe urchin shows particularly active covering behavior, using sponges, shells, and algae.

Mespilia globulus occurs in southern China, the Indian Ocean, Philippines, and the Indo-Australian Archipelago. It can be found on rocks and in crevices during the day and emerges at night to feed on algae.

About the Species

This specimen was collected in 1909-1910 by S. Schöde in Friedrich-Wilhelm-Hafen, Deutsch Neu-Guinea (now Madang, Papua New Guinea). It is part of the marine invertebrates wet collection of the ZMB.